


The Streets of Republic City

by lady_setsuna



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-17 23:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2327537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_setsuna/pseuds/lady_setsuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Republic City, Lin Beifong must solve the murder of a young fire bender. When her sister’s best friend, Aiwei, offers his services, he needs to work hard to earn her respect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. True Story

It was already late when Lin Beifong, chief of police, went through the files. Her tired eyes examined the photograph again and again. It displayed the corpse of a teenage girl, fifteen years old, who had been a known fire bender. She had been burned to a crisp. From what Lin had heard, the girl had wanted to go pro. Her family had described her as passionate and energetic. This girl had stood out. There was not much left of her now. Her body looked pale and crippled in the photograph. Her hair covered her face, now barely visible. What was wrong with this picture? No matter how hard Lin stared at it, she saw no clues.

The girl had moved to Republic City with her father, a congress man who worked at City Hall for president Raiko. At first, Lin had expected the father to be the target. Rich, famous, and disliked by many folk that did not agree with his views. Who knew what skeletons he had in the closet? What deals he had closed?

The murder had happened earlier that day and the police had investigated the crime scene thoroughly. The strange thing was that there were no signs of fire bending. It was as if the girl had been incinerated in some other way. They had talked to three witnesses. None of them had spoken up, but the fear shone through their eyes. It was difficult to pry a word out of them. They needed more help. When her colleagues suggested to hire a truth seer the next morning, Lin had been most offended. Now she walked into some of her staff again, and they just could not let it go.

‘He had a reference form your sister,’ her right-hand Saikhan told her. ‘I thought that at the very least, you would consider it. I didn’t even know you had a sister.’

‘We are not on speaking terms,’  Lin said harshly.

‘Well, he could be useful.’

‘You have got to be kidding me? And you believe this nonsense?’

‘Lin, he uses seismic sense in a complex way, just like you do. I’m sure that you’ll be intrigued by him,’ 

‘Seismic sense is a very complex technique,’  she replied, almost offended.

‘But you are quite good at it,’ Saikhan flattered her.

‘Yes, because it’s in my blood. My mother and sister are able to use it, and the avatar. I don’t even believe for a second that anyone else is able to do this.’

‘Well, we were hiring for that position, and had a talk with him. Just meet with him tomorrow. See if you like him.’

‘And you think he is up for the job?’ she asked him skeptically.

‘Trust me, he is,’  Saikhan said.

‘Well, I guess that I could use an extra hand,’ the chief of police muttered.

‘That’s what I’m saying. We are so busy these days with petty theft. The Triple Thread Triad has been at it again. And with the spirit world open, there’s only so much we can do!’

‘Every day’s street cleaning day,’  a young lieutenant commented, who was also getting his cup of morning coffee.

‘Stop prying and get to those files,’ Saikhan snapped, while he walked with Lin to her office, which was next to his.

‘I know, I know,’ she nodded. ‘It will be nice to have some more help around here.’

‘That’s what I’m saying. And you’ll like him, I’m sure!’ He laughed warmly and clapped his hands once.

‘We’ll see.’ She got some coffee and continued to her office.

 

*

Lin was working on a flow chart. She drew relations between the witnesses and character profiles, and pinned a list of subjects next to the photograph of the girl. She looked at a map and keenly analyzed the different streets that ended up in the alley in Downton, where her body was found. She was quite concentrated when there was a knock on her door, and then another knock, and another.

‘Come in!’

‘Good morning,’  an older man told her. He was wearing gloves, and removed one politely. He shook her hand firmly and with a warm smile. His suit struck her as decent and so did his glasses. His shortly trimmed bear was white.

‘Hi, ah, yes, we had a brief appointment, right? My colleagues were very taken by you during the job interview. Do you want coffee? Of course, you want coffee,’ She called for her secretary to get them some coffee, and put away some of the markers and papers. He stared at her flow chart with interest. While she nervously cleaned her desk – having lost all track of time – he patiently sat down and smiled. He already agitated her in a way that she didn’t quite understand. She examined his resume and references. There was a letter from her sister Suyin but she put it aside. Was this yet another petty attempt of her sister to get in touch with her?

She chitchatted a bit with this man, mostly to make herself feel more at ease. He answered politely. She liked his glasses and the tiny piercing in his nose, which was also an earring. What kind of fashion was that? She’d never seen anything like it, but it fascinated her.

‘I want to hear a little bit more about you,’ she said, fidgeting with some paper work on him, and his resume. ‘On paper, you look good. Tell me what you do.’

‘I am a truth seer,’  he told her. ‘I use seismic sense to detect lies.’

‘That is fascinating, but I find it hard to believe. It is a very rare skill.’

‘I’m aware of your family history, and it must seem odd to you. I have long since meditated and studied the culture of the air benders. Bending fascinated me and I wanted to use it in more spiritual, emotional ways. During my travels, I also met your mother briefly, who gave me helpful tips. It took me a while, but I mastered the technique at a young age and I have specialized in it ever since.’

‘You knew my mother?’

‘And your sister, of course. I only met your mother briefly, but she is a very unique woman.’

‘She is.’  Lin quietly stared at her coffee. It had been years since she had last seen her mother, and it was a sensitive issue. ‘I would prefer it not to talk about my family, though.’

‘I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable,’  he said.

‘So what is it that you do with seismic sense?’

‘I detect patterns in the breathing of suspects and their heart rates. I have applied this method for many years. It takes skill, but also a great deal of concentration and empathy.’

‘I understand. Why would you come work for us though?’ she asked skeptically.

‘The answer is complex, but what it boils down to is that I need a new job and a new challenge. I have lived in Zaofu for many years, but I felt that my services were needed here.’

‘Well, I would love to see you in action soon then,’ Lin said, standing up. ‘In fact, try it on me.’ She put her hands on her waist and looked down on him.

‘Excuse me?’  he said.

‘Try it on me. Figure out whether I’m lying.’

‘Are you sure, miss Beifong? It can be quite alarming to some. You see, the truth is not always what we want to hear.’

‘I can handle it,’ she said.

‘Well, tell me a story then, or a fact,’ his smile faded. He looked at her intently and concentrated. ‘And please sit down in front of me. I need to look at you.’

‘Whatever works for you,’  she shrugged, sitting down again. ‘A story? Let me see. I joined the police force twenty years ago, and I have never regretted it.’

‘You did regret it.’ He looked into her green eyes deeply and she felt judged.

‘Nonsense.’

‘Perhaps it has something to do with your mother, who was a well-known and respected officer?’

‘I loved my mother,’ she snapped resolutely.  

‘That is true. Perhaps you wanted to please her?’

Lin remain quiet. ‘This is not a good story.’

‘If you say so,’  he said softly.

‘Let me tell you another story. The first murder case that I investigated was the murder of a little girl, not unlike this girl.’

He nodded.

‘She was seventeen and she was the victim of some blood bending incident that had gotten way out of hand. Being a police officer can be grim, and that’s why I have regrets now and then. Humans can be sick, Aiwei. Bending brings out the best and the worst in us. Do you know who bend her? Her own boyfriend. It was awful. A fight of sorts.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ he asked her.

‘I am telling you that whatever we find, it won’t be pretty,’  Lin said.

‘I believe you. That was all true, but your heart rate went up a little at the end, so I do sense that you are not telling me the whole story. What you have experienced, was more complex and that this case had made a profound impact on you. It changed your ideas of relationships, didn’t it? Your relationship with your mother has obviously been quite tight, even before this incident,  your family situation must have been -’

‘Stop pretending that you know me,’ she said, upset. ‘Just go. I am convinced. Go. I need to work on this case some more.’ She stood up and faced the window. Whatever she felt hurt, and she had to fight back the tears. She swallowed. He would notice. Her breathing, her heart – he would notice, and it shamed her.

‘I apologize, miss Beifong. I should not have pressed the matter.’

She caught her breath and finally turned around. ‘I asked for the truth. It is not your fault. I’ll see you tomorrow morning when we interrogate those lowlifes.’

He bowed.

‘Oh, and that girl?’ she continued. ‘She was killed in some sort of sick sex activity. It was an accident of sorts. They were experimenting. Choking each other. With blood bending. He committed suicide before we had the chance to arrest him.’

‘And you were a newly-minted detective,’ he stated.

‘Yes.’

‘I see,’  he said. ‘Thank you.’

He lingered near the door for a minute, hesitating. ‘I do look forward to working with you, Miss Beifong. You have an outstanding reputation and you appear to be a fascinating woman. I am sorry if I have inconvenienced you in any way.’

‘It’s quite alright.’

She stared at the apartment buildings and the distant towers of city hall. Before he closed the door, she caught a glance of him  in the window. She noticed that he turned around, as if he was waiting for her to say something, but she was done talking. This man didn’t know her. Who was he to judge her?

She felt that it was her own fault though. Hadn’t she asked him to read her? And wasn’t she being too difficult? She was his superior and had to act like that. Everyone had always told her that she was a nice boss, but as a colleague, she could be antisocial. She did her job well, but she needed a manual. Most of her officers knew how to deal with that, but he was new.

His prying had upset her. She wanted to like Aiwei, but she couldn’t stand him. Something of him reminded her of Tenzin, and that made her feel uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the events in Book 3, I felt that Lin and Aiwei had a lot of chemistry. At the very least, he seemed to genuinely care about her well-being. While I have written most of the story, the updates might be a bit slow still, since I started this story in a reversed order. The end was written a while ago, but I felt that the characters needed more time together. That's why I settled for A.U. eventually. Post-canon, I was very interested in the fog, and asked myself what Aiwei's fears could be. Please note that I'm a non-native speaker and that this is my first Avatar fic. I worked hard on it, but if you still find errors, feel free to let me know. I hope that you like it, and please drop a comment if you do! I'd appreciate it!


	2. Daddy's Little Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A clue to the murder of the firebender suggests the possible involvement of a new equalist movement, and Chief Beifong and Aiwei investigate the events.

The new medical reports informed Lin Beifong that the girl had not died from natural causes. She had spontaneously self combusted. When she shared her information with Aiwei, he seemed at ease and interested. She threw the files on his desk dramatically, so he might inspect them for himself.

‘Could it have been related to her firebending skill? An accident of sorts?’  he pondered. She looked down on him. He sat in the chair in his new police uniform.

‘In an alley? At night? Of course not. It makes no sense,’  Lin said, pacing up and down, hands behind her back. ‘Can firebenders combust like this? Then again, we have seen some unusual bending activities since the spirit world opened. Perhaps it is similar to blood bending? There have been benders that made use of their own bodies before.’

‘Of course our bodies do not only channel energy,’ Aiwei said, ‘but they are also matter in and of themselves that we can be bend. Burning one’s own body seems radical though.’

‘Go figure,’ Lin said. ‘Here’s what we are going to do. I’ll bring some of my staff. We inspect the crime scene again and look around. Was there really no external source of ignition? You and I will interrogate some of the witnesses.’

‘And the body?’  Aiwei asked, peering over his glasses.

‘The body is still being inspected. Unfortunately the research has not been easy. Many marks have been burned away.’ 

‘I understand,’ he replied. ‘Shall we?’

 

*

They drove to downtown Republic City to meet two of the witnesses – a young woman named Fi and a waiter named Kato. On the way, Aiwei read their previous statements out loud to Lin, who was driving, and they talked about nothing but work. Lin was confident, since she was knowledgeable about the case and keen on solving it. Aiwei sometimes seemed absent-minded, and it made Lin question him. What was his motive for joining the police force on such short notice? What was his personal stake in all of this? Lin felt like he saw right through her, but she did not understand him at all. It made her feel uneasy. He seemed capable, though, and that would do.

At the restaurant, they met Kato, who was serving drinks to a group of average looking earth benders. From the looks of it, the place specialized in noodles. They sat down at a table and Kato soon joined them. He offered them some food, which Lin declined for the both of them, because she considered it unprofessional to accept his offer.

‘I’m not sure what I could tell you,’ Kato said, while Aiwei carefully observed him. ‘I already told you all that I know. She was burning, and it seemed as if someone had maybe used firebending on her from a distance? It was really weird. I saw her walking and then, like, from the corner of my eye, I saw this light and I felt this immense heat. That’s when I realized that she was dying. It was really freaky. You can’t imagine the shock that I felt.’

‘It’s interesting, because I get the feeling that the story is more complex,’  Aiwei started. ‘Did you knew the girl, perhaps?’

‘No, but her family is well-known. Her dad works at city hall.’

‘I still sense that you are not telling us the complete truth,’ Aiwei said, but he sounded polite, and he smiled. ‘What can you tell us about the girl?’

‘I can’t tell you very much about the girl, but I did hear a rumor that her dad was being blackmailed by someone.’

‘Who?’  Lin immediately asked.

‘Could by anyone, really. Politicians, you know. He had some strange views about the spirits, this congress man. He is not very popular around here, you know.’

‘Why is that? There are more congress men that find the spirits an inconvenient,’ Lin remarked.

‘Look, there are some rumors that he was an equalist back in the days. Recently, he also started a campaign against the spirits of sorts.’

‘Oh yes,  I heard about that. He voted for new policies and the entrapment of certain spirits. There was a lot of talk about it at the station.’

‘Yeah,’ Kato nodded. ‘I can imagine. Anyway, he stays in the background a bit, but he’s downright mad. Maybe envious of benders? No idea. He is not a bender. Maybe his wife was - no idea. All I know is, that kid of his had a rough time. And how she ended up there, I figure it’s got something to do with her old man.’

Aiwei nodded to Lin to indicate that he was telling the truth.

‘I wish I could tell you more,’  Kato said. ‘But I have no clue who or what you are dealing with. It’s strange that a girl should die like this. So fast. It’s horrible. I hope you can solve this.’

After some small talk, they shook hands. The waiter left, whistling, and greeted some new customers. On the street, kids were playing. For a metropolis, the town could seem so quiet at points.

 

*

Perched at the edge of a small fountain, Aiwei confirmed Lin that the waiter had told the truth, and then gave her insights in his emotions and nerves. The little details didn’t mean much to Lin. She remained silent and peered into the street. With her seismic sense, she could still determine the exact spot where the girl had died. The earth was different there, somehow. It struck her, and scared her, that it looked so flawless on the outside. A fruit monger was standing near it, selling old apples. His two children, both girls, were playing near his stall. She only noticed that she wasn’t listening when Aiwei put a hand on her shoulder.

‘Lin?’

 ‘I’m sorry. This is just one of the strangest cases that I have seen in a long while. Ever since the gates to the spirit world opened, the town has become so bizarre. It’s like anything can happen, any time. Maybe this is even related to a spirit. Who is to say?’

She stretched her legs and stared at her feet.

‘I’ve seen so much worse, mind you,’ Lin continued, ‘but this case seems so meaningless. It will be difficult to work out what happened here.’

‘I understand.’ He contemplated the matter for a moment. ‘You are right. It is difficult to put together what happened. Did she kill herself? Was it a bending accident?’

‘Or was it just a plain and simple murder that someone tried to cover up? Are there perhaps techniques that we are unfamiliar with?’ Lin speculated. ‘If variations on waterbending allow us to control blood, couldn’t fire bending be used to alter the body too?’

‘I guess so, but wouldn’t we have seen more cases of this?’ Aiwei asked. ‘Still, bloodbending is a rare ability and has often been covered up as well.’

 ‘Are there ways to trigger someone to trigger spontaneous self combustion?’ Lin pondered out loud.

‘I am not sure, but there are ways to trigger someone to commit suicide.’

His words seemed grim, even to her. What was this guy’s story?

     ‘We should go,’ she said, getting up. ‘Let’s go find this politician.’

He smiled at her. ‘Don’t be worried. We’ll get to the bottom of this.’ She wasn’t worried. Could he just mind his own business for a change? No wonder her sister had shipped him off to Republic City.

     ‘Aiwei,’  she said firmly. ‘I appreciate your empathy, but get out of my head. You weren’t hired to do pep talks.’

     ‘Ah, I apologize.’

     ‘Whatever.’ She refused to acknowledge him for most of their ride back to the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Related to the canon - I assume that Raiko has to respond to a council, but there has been a lot of debate about how the post-council politics actually works in Avatar. What I figure is, he would have a whole lot of power otherwise, and that doesn't make sense, considering what the nations have been through.


	3. Danger Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin and Aiwei finally meet with the congress man in a train, but the situation escalates. Can they bend their way out of it?

It was difficult to make an appointment with congress man Osaro. His secretary told them that he was still grieving, but they insisted that the matter was of the highest importance. In the mean time, Lin did some research. If Osaro had been an equalist, he must have been interviewed. They had brought in anyone affiliated to the movement and interrogated them for hours. Many suspects had been arrested since the fall of Amon. It had been a lot of work for all departments, and Lin did not remember every suspect in great detail. The list had been very long.

In the record room, Lin found some files and written transcripts of a meeting with the congress man. He had been interviewed by two of her staff members. Apparently, her employees had even found some incriminating letters. Osaro had insisted throughout the interrogation that he did not know that Amon’s true identity and that he had nothing to do with his reign. It seemed dirty to her though. He appeared to have been one of the many equalists that had gotten away without proper punishment. Reading up on him, she loathed him even more.

It didn’t come as a shock to her then, that Osaro didn’t want anything to do with the police anymore. Her staff was persistent though, and had even threatened him. Finally, Osaro offered to meet with them on Republic Station, before he journeyed to the outskirts of Republic City to meet with his family.  

Lin and Aiwei waited near a small coffee stand, where a young woman came running up to them. She introduced herself as Osaro’s secretary, and bowed apologetically.

‘He is running late. Perhaps you can travel with him for a bit? I bought you tickets.’

‘This is rather unorthodox,’ Lin commented. ‘Whatever it takes to talk to him, I guess?’

Aiwei nodded. ‘We’d be delighted to join you.’

 

*

The train tracks were high above the ground and allowed them to admire the sceneries of Republic City. Lin had spent most of her life in the town, and was used to its sights, but Aiwei peered out of the window with interest, while she flipped through her paper work.

They joined the congress man somewhat later in the first class area, where he had a coupé of his own. He was an older gentlemen, perhaps in his early sixties, with white hair and a goatee. His appearance underlined that at least one of his parents descended from the fire nation. The secretary left to give them some privacy.

After the formalities, Lin cut to the case. ‘As you already know, we believe that your daughter has been murdered.’

‘The last thing that I heard from those that inspected her body, was that she had self-combusted.’

‘Yes, and that’s a highly unusual and rare thing,’ Lin added. ‘The medical reports are not conclusive. Overall, it’s a very odd case and we believe that someone might have been involved with her death. That is why we want to examine it deeper. We have barely scratched the surface.’

‘I see,’ he said. ‘What kind of information can I provide you?’

‘Tell us a bit about the girl first,’ Lin suggested. ‘What was she like?’

‘Energetic, quite capable. She grew up like any other kid, and was not extremely talented in bending. She made up for that by practicing every day, religiously. She loved bending. She wanted to turn pro, you know.’ He peered out of the window, and even though Lin was not a truth seer, she felt his sadness and knew that he was holding back tears.

‘She was a lovely girl. My only daughter, you know. For years, my wife and I tried and we came to the conclusion that we couldn’t have any children. The doctors told us, and we tried all sorts of things. My wife, she prayed so much. Every day. Every night. Give us a child. She has so much trouble coping with this loss.’

Lin had trouble speaking. It brought back her relationship with Tenzin. They had talked about children and their future together. Something always got in the way. They both had had their careers and ambitions. At some point, being childless became their choice and they stuck by it. They didn’t mind. As a couple, Tenzin and Lin talked about their decisions openly and often, after a fight, made up and told each other how happy they were. Their connection had been real. They laughed about people how got married, and how they didn’t need that. The two of them were a modern couple. Then he cheated on her. Blamed her. He told her that they had been growing apart, that they were better off as friends, but whatever he said, it didn’t make it right. He had violated her trust and this affair had apparently been going on for a while. How could she not have seen it? He got his wish though - a family. Suddenly he was playing house with Pema. He had never once opened his damn mouth about it to her but apparently that had been his dream. The world was so fucked up.

´I am so sorry,´ Aiwei said sincerely. Then he looked at Lin briefly. She knew that he had sensed her unease, and she fought back. This wasn´t his business.

‘We are concerned though, about your well-being,´ Aiwei continued, noticing Lin´s discomfort. ´Could it be that her murder was a statement?’

‘You mean – you think that someone is targeting me?’

‘It is quite likely,’ Aiwei nodded. ‘Could you tell us if you have any enemies?’

´None that I can imagine.´

´You are an outspoken politician, surely there are people that dislike you?’ Lin asked, focusing on the conversation. Did he notice the shake in her voice? The lack of concentration? Much to her reassurance, the congress man replied thoughtfully.

‘Many. Some believe that I was an equalist, but there is little truth to that.’

‘Well, we investigated you back in the days, and we got nothing,’ Lin nodded.

‘And why would they murder her to make a statement?’ he said. ‘It doesn’t make sense. They could have directly targeted me. You believe that she is murdered, and I agree with you that the situation is odd, but I think that it was an accident. She was practicing a lot, you see. Her sensei was strong in alternative techniques. Have you interviewed him yet? That might be helpful.’

They continued the conversation. Lin inquired about his political views, which included a tightly run government, and more policies and faster decision-making in relation to the spirits, that were causing disturbances across the city.

After a lengthy conversation, they thanked the congress man for his time. He politely nodded and gazed out of the window again.

 

*

 When Lin and Aiwei left, he told her that the politician had been lying. He most definitely had some attachment to the equalists.

‘He seems ambitious too, and very anxious when you spoke about the president.’

‘Perhaps that is what he wants, the presidency,’ Lin speculated. He seems like the sort of guy. Managed to cover up quite a bit of his dirt. He tries to maintain a particular image. Speaks to the people that dislike the spirits, that sort of thing. When he gets the chance, he’ll try to be even more outspoken. That is what he is, a populist.’

‘I think you are right about him,’ Aiwei confirmed. ‘A populist with an agenda of his own. He seems to seek power, but his ideology is crooked. He was lying through his teeth about his daughter. He did not believe for a second that his daughter had died in an accident. He knew that she was murdered, and that it was his fault. This genuinely concerned him though. He wasn’t faking that. His family matters to him.’

‘We need more evidence. And the guy is complicated. The death can be traced back to him, but plenty of people would have a motive to hurt him or damage his reputation. The equalists, the anti-spirits movements that are popping up, the crooked tax system – he is smack dab in the middle of so many things.’

‘Agreed,’ Aiwei said.

When the steam train halted, they decided to get off and take a train back to Central. A person nearly bumped into Lin when she got out, and it struck her as odd. In fact, two other individuals boarded that made Lin feel uneasy. They wore hoods, and she couldn’t see their face directly. Quickly, she put her hand on Aiwei’s sleeve and guided him back to the train. She said nothing, but he understood.

They passed different compartments.

‘Do you think that they are here for him?’  Aiwei asked her.

‘I’m not sure, but I know when something is wrong. Also, no one wears hoods these days. They don’t have any business here, I can tell you that.’

 

*

The hooded figures led them back to the first class compartments, where they overheard the congress man. Lin immediately opened her coat and fixed her gear.

‘What do you want from me?’  was one of the sentences that she could make out. There were sounds and a rush of electricity surged through the air. She felt it in the metal of the train – it resonated. She drew her gear and slammed open the compartment. The congress man was already knocked out. The window was open.

‘Take care of him!’  she said to Aiwei. ‘Check his vitals.’

He was protesting, offering his help to her, but they had no time. She immediately flung herself out of the window. Her cables swept through the air and dug into the roof. She swung upwards and landed.

The three figures were running across the roof of the train, fleeing from their crime. Lin would have none of it. She extended her cables fast, but one of them moved back. The figure bent the roof of train. It curved like a smooth wave and Lin fell down. The train went fast and she tumbled a bit. She had to extend her cables again, along the sides of the train, to prevent herself from falling. Their weight helped her get back up in a blast. She scurried back up, almost spider like. The metalbender was resilient. He tore a piece from the train’s roof and swung it at her. She evaded it. He tried it again and then kicked the metal scrapes for extra power.

Just as she was about to duck, the metal floated in the air and then swung back at the bender. Lin was annoyed to see Aiwei stand behind her. Apparently he had used the ladder at the back of the train. He was wielding his metalbending moves with expert craftsmanship. His talents surprised her for a moment, but there was little time to be impressed.

On top of the train, Lin used her metalbending on the rails. The train shook and went off track before it finally halted. Aiwei fell down and toppled, holding on to the ladder at the back of the train to prevent himself from falling. Lin herself was still standing. She swung her gear at the nearby bender, but he dodged her move and revealed his own weapon to hurt her – a long-ranged electric stick. She metalbend the roof that he was standing on. While he was nearly falling down, she swept her rod across his hands and the stick fell off the train. With another sweep, he fell off the train.

There was no telling of the other two individuals were benders or not. One appeared to be a woman, who quickly threw her flames at Aiwei and Lin. Both used their metalbending to avoid her. Aiwei bent another part of the train’s roof, which nearly folded around the bender. She jumped up the curly roof, and blasted her flames at Aiwei. Lin pushed him aside and got singed by the flames. Her rods, now smoking hot, hit the female benders legs and caused her to tumble. Hastily, she caught the edge of the train and leapt back up, but at that moment, Aiwei had already bent a piece off the train, and threw it towards her. She avoided it. Both Lin and Aiwei were startled when sparks shot from her finger tips. Electricity was her weakness. Her weapons and attire consisted of metal and the sparks could fry her in an instant.  

In one slick move, Lin jumped towards Aiwei, and took them both tumbling down. She extended her cables as they fell from the train, past the high tracks. The electricity ran through the train and the tracks above, but not the bridge. Her cable clung to the wooden bridge desperately. With one arm, Lin held Aiwei, and with the other her metal cable.

‘You need to get me some of those too,’ he joked, but his nervous laughing quickly ceased when Lin withdrew the cable. She hoisted the two of them back up fast and in a blur. They landed on the tracks again safely, for the most part. Lin had to act fast, and observed the situation. 

One of the figures fled to the edge of the train. The other one had probably already left the train. Judging by the figure’s composure, and movements, this was not the firebender. He wielded two electric sticks and ran up to them. Perhaps he was offering the other person a chance to escape.

While Lin adjusted her gear, Aiwei flung the ladder of the train straight at the non-bender, who took a dive to the side, clutching to the edge of the train barely. His electric sticks fell to the ground. Running forward, Lin swung her cable at him and threw him on the roof. Apparently, the guy was wearing an advanced electric glove - a type that she had never seen before or she would have noticed – and she felt the surges run through her. Dizzily, she withdrew and then took a swing at his feet.  Lin felt sick and knelt on the train. She felt hands, grasping at her, and then not much at all.  

 

 

*

On their way to the hospital,  she was conscious, but hurt. There were bruises in places where she had least expected them. The drugs were slowly kicking in, though they weren’t helping much. Her rib cage, especially, felt like hell. Aiwei didn’t say much. What was there to say? The congress man was dead but at least they had imprisoned a suspect. They were going to interrogate that assassin as soon as they had the chance.

‘Look, don’t get your hopes up,’ Aiwei told her. ‘It’s complex, Lin, so please take a minute to listen.’

‘What did you do? Did you let him escape?!’

‘You fell to the ground. I was worried.’

‘You… Damn, you,’ she cursed quietly. ‘… You gave him the chance. You gave him too much time. And you should have left me.’

‘Lin, please don’t be like that.’

‘Getting that guy was our top priority! Don’t you see that?’

‘I am not a police offer like you, Lin,' Aiwei said. 'I was hired to help you with your investigation. I understand your concerns, but it happened quite fast. I am sorry. I thought we had him. I thought that I had time to catch you and see if you were alright. I’m sorry.’

Lin looked at him and saw his regret.

The trip seemed very long to Lin, who was aching all over by now. The thought that the suspect got away, after they had invested so much effort, made her feel even more gut wrecked.

‘It’s not our fault, Lin. And if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. You did good.’

‘I fucked up,’ she hissed. ‘Just keep to yourself. We’ll go to the hospital and then when we get back, we-’ A shot of pain went up from her rib cage and she clenched her wrists, bending forward.

‘Take it easy,’ he said. ‘We are nearly there.’

 

*

They had to wait a long time until the doctor came. Finally, Lin could go into a room, where a nurse told her that the doctor wouldn’t take long. Hurting all over, Lin removed the heavy cylindrical spool device. Almost effortlessly, she bend the armor that she was wearing. It floated up and fell to the ground.  She was still wearing parts of the gear - the sleeves, the boots – but felt more comfortable keeping them on. In her tank top, she sat on the hospital bed tiredly.

‘You don’t have to stay. I’m used to hospitals. You should find out what you can about the criminals.’

‘Please, we are not in a hurry. Let me keep you company.’

She hugged herself. ‘I could use that doctor right about now.’

‘Where does it hurt?’ Aiwei asked her gently.

She showed him with a couple of gestures.

‘I see. Stay still for a moment.’

He put his hands on her ribs gently. They were warm. The pain lessened.

‘What the-?’

‘Energy,’ he said. ‘It can be controlled, you know that.’ He moved his hands across her rib cage softly, and she hoped that the doctor wouldn’t come in now. She was blushing. He touched her discreetly though, softly putting his hands on her tank top, which suddenly seemed very thin. She’d removed most of her armor, except the cuffs around her wrists. He must have felt that the touch soothed her, because he smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back.

‘The doctor will be here any minute,’ she said, touching his hands. He let go.

 ‘You really surprised me,’ he said, touching her gear lightly. ‘You are so agile. How do you do it?’

‘I work out a lot, and I practice my techniques hard. That’s the most important thing. Strategy. I mean, I look agile, but it’s – it’s complex.’

‘It was impressive. Your sister-, no never mind.’

‘No, tell me. What about my sister?’ she said, looking downward.

‘She has these unique performance techniques. You might… You would be proud of her. It’s very different from what you do, but somehow the same? I can’t explain it very well. Never mind. You are sensitive about your family, I respect that.’

‘It’s difficult,’ she whispered.

‘In the train, I got this vague impression that there might be more to it. When the congress man spoke about children, it was like…’

‘Don’t read me,’ she hushed him. ‘Just stop reading me.’ She wanted to say so much more, about how much her family had hurt her in the past, about how much Tenzin had hurt her, about her jealousy of Suyin and her kids. She convinced herself that she had no regrets. She lived like her mother had wanted her to live and she was proud of herself. She was strong. She was so strong.

There were tears in her eyes.

‘I’m sorry for prying,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t know you. And though I feel like I’ve known you for ages, you are my boss. We have to be professional. I’m sorry.’

She remained silent. His hands touched hers. He moved up, softly touching the gear on her wrists. This invention was a part of her, an extension. It felt intimate. She wanted to pull back, but didn’t.

‘You’ll need to remove them eventually. The doctor needs to look at your wounds.’

Lin did not respond to him. When would he ever stop lecturing her? She sighed.

‘Do the cables make you feel comfortable?’ he asked.

‘Did you know that my father made my armor and equipment?’ She smiled at her metal sleeves, which did not only help steer the cables, but could also shoot knives.

‘These were the first metalbending devices for the police. I designed them, but he made them. He was an engineer. He made the cables, the cylindrical spool device, all of it. They are unique. Their weight is perfect for me. Their balance is just right.’

‘I see.’ He petted the black metal for a minute. Then, a rather odd thing happened again, because he moved his hand up from the cuffs across her arm.

‘I miss him every day.’

He put his hand on her shoulder for a minute and squeezed. She leaned in. The doctor could not have entered a more inconvenient time.

‘Miss Beifong, nice to meet you. Ah, you brought your husband too.’

Lin waited a moment before she explained to him that they were not married. While the doctor wrote extensive notes about her condition, Aiwei smiled at her.


	4. Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through an exercise in seismic sense, Lin and Aiwei get more intimate. He shares his stories, but it is up to Lin to unearth his deepest secrets.

After their visit to the hospital, he drove her home. Even though she pretended to be fine, she was tired. He insisted on walking her up.

‘Let me go with you. Make you some tea,’ he offered.

‘Don’t be silly. I can do it myself. The painkillers will kick in soon. It’s still early.’

‘Just let me do this for you, Lin.’ He looked at her and she noticed that his eyes were not judging her, but looked caring and warm. It frightened her.

Her apartment was quite spacious, but she didn’t entirely enjoy it. It was filled with old furniture from her mom and some things from the time that she had lived with Tenzin. She had gotten rid of most of it, though, and smashed the other things. Overall, the apartment was clean, but she was a bit of a hoarder. Copies of paper work, files and newspapers were scattered across the tables and piled on her shelves. Aiwei seemed like someone that kept things well-organized, so she felt a bit ashamed.

He put her down on the sofa and made some tea. He only asked he if she wanted black or green tea and that was their conversation. She didn’t mind. When she was lying on the couch, she stared at the ceiling, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. He sat down with her, on the carpet, in a lotus position.

‘You need to take it easy, Lin,’ he said. ‘Do you rest enough?’

‘Of course. I go to the gym everyday to work out and practice my earthbending.’

‘So you do not rest.’

‘Stop reading me,’  she hissed.

‘Music, good food, meditation,’  he listed, ‘ you need to take time for yourself and to enjoy life.’

‘I go to probending matches sometimes,’ she said, turning her head to face him.

‘Just make sure that you rest well. We’ll solve the crime in due time. I don’t doubt that.’

‘Could you read me that testimony again?’ she asked.

‘No,’  he said. ‘In fact, I’m taking it with me. I’m taking all of your work with me, so you can’t work here.’

‘What?’

‘Oh, I mean it. You can’t get up and stop me.’

She tried to get up. ‘Come on, don’t! I will get bored.’

‘Gives you some time to meditate and be alone with yourself.’

‘Fool.’ She fought the pain. ‘Stay away from my desk.’

‘Alright,’  he held his hands up, and walked over to her. He offered her the tea, as if to make up with her. ‘Come on, drink something.’

‘You must have such a perfect life,’ she gazed at him intently. ‘Just meditating, doing your thing. For you, work is just work.’

‘If only you knew what I had been through, Lin,’ he said. ‘You have to work to be happy.’

‘Then tell me about it.’

‘How about I don’t tell you, but you read me.’

‘I am not as spiritual as you.’ She was upset. ‘Actually you made it pretty damn clear to me that I could never do what you do.’

‘You can do more than you give yourself credit for,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you try it? And if you don’t succeed, I’ll tell you what you want to know.’

She didn’t reply, but finally nodded.

‘Sit down, wait…’ He picked up a pillow and put it behind her back. ‘You need to feel comfortable. Did you know that when you meditate deeply, very deeply, the pain fades away?’ She leaned on the pillow and finally decided that it was no good. He noticed her annoyance.

‘I’ll sit on the floor with you,’ she suggested, and when she sat down it hurt. ‘I hope that you are right, about the pain fading.’

‘I can hold your hands, if you want,’ he suggested. ‘It makes things easier. Now you close your eyes, and we meditate together. And if you focus very well, you might learn to adept your seismic sense. And then, when you focus hard enough, maybe you feel what I can’t tell you?’

‘I have never been able to enter the spirit world,’ she said. ‘This won’t work.’

‘We don’t need to go there. What you want to do is use your seismic sense in a different way. Focus on my breathing and your own. Read the patterns.’

‘I don’t think I can,’  she said, eyes still open.

‘Just try it,’  he said calmly, after which he squeezed her hands gently. She felt a shiver down her back and her heart skipped a beat.

Aiwei understood before Lin Beifong did that she was falling in love with him. He could sense by her rapid breathing and exhales. It was a comforting thought. Would she accept him, when she found out who he really was? He enjoyed her hands, which were rough, and the sight of her bright green eyes. He loved her strength but knew that she was insecure and fragile. He wanted to hold her and take her through all of this, but he knew that he could not.

 

*

Their meditation lasted for what seemed like hours for Lin. Sometimes, she resisted the urge to open her eyes and look at the clock. She knew that meditation took time though, since she had tried it in the past. It sometimes took minutes or hours to get into the flow. It simply took time, but Lin was an impatient lady. There were too many distractions. She focused on Aiwei’s breathing and adjusted to it. The rhythm of his inhales and exhales made things easier for her.

Gradually she felt herself getting emptier and more at ease. She did not feel Aiwei’s hands anymore, even though she still touched them, and her body felt soft. Her thoughts were gone. The stress of the case, the witnesses, the voices of colleagues – it was all fading. Perhaps Aiwei’s touch helped, because she remembered to use seismic sense. It was hard, but she felt his heart beating irregularly. She didn’t understand what she felt, but she knew that there was a wall there.

She also understood that there might be something else, something positive. That he cared about her. That he wanted her to see something, experience something. She understood that he was at far away and at ease, but he was hiding something. There was a pain and a numbness that he had learned to live with, a loss maybe. It made no sense. What was she seeing? When she opened her eyes, he was still meditating. His face seemed attractive to her, but what she liked most of all was his gentle atmosphere. Lin smiled at him and then closed her eyes again, because it felt nice to finally be able to relax.

 

*

‘You did good, Lin,’ he said.

‘Of course,’ she said. He needed to know that she didn’t need his approval. ‘It is not that hard if you have practiced seismic sense since you were a child.’

‘What did you find?’

‘That you are stuck. I’m not sure what happened, but you’ve been through some things. I felt scars.’

‘Did you now?’

‘Tell me a story,’ she grinned. Both of them were in lotus position, facing each other. He took her hands again, and rubbed them softly.

‘I lived with my parents in Bah Sing Se.’

‘How befitting – the city of walls and secrets,’ she laughed.

‘After the hundred year war, the city was quiet. The rings were slowly modernizing again. We lived on the outskirts, the lower ring. Life was not that good there. Many factories. That’s how I learned to earthbend. I was employed in one at a very young age. When my father died in an accident at the factory, that’s when I knew that something needed to change. The factory was poorly maintained. People died frequently, but it was always covered up, often with help of the government. They just bribed them, the people who did the inspections on behalf of our earth king. Though the king was often praised in those days, he didn’t do anything. The lower classes meant nothing to him. We were exposable.’

‘Was that when you became committed to the truth?’

‘And to so much more,’ he said, and she caught a glimpse in his eye. ‘The only organization that ever inspired me was the White Lotus. From time to time, their members were still visible in Ba Sing Se during the restoration. They had liberated the town and taken care of it. Unlike the king.’

She sensed his admiration, but also his disgust for the king and for the town itself.

‘And your mother?’ Lin asked, because she had sensed a tremor when he mentioned her.

‘She finally found a new husband. Though he was rich, and I no longer had to work, there was little room for me. That is when I started to travel. I really wanted to get away from that town. It was filthy. It wasn’t a good place to grow up.’

‘How old were you?’

‘Fifteen.’

‘Did you travel by yourself?’ Lin inquired. 

‘For a while, but I met your sister at the circus, and we became good friends. Those were happy days.’

She sensed that he was lying. ‘You are leaving something out.’

‘What am I leaving out, Lin Beifong?’

‘I… I am not sure.’

‘I’ll tell you again. I met her at the circus.’

‘It’s true.’

‘We were friends. She was like a sister to me.’

‘Perhaps you can tell me more about how you got by?’ she asked carefully.

 ‘My childhood had been difficult, but now I was free and it was glorious. To travel like that, limitless, to go where ever we wanted. We trained hard and when we didn’t make enough money at the circus, we made extra cash with earthbending shows.’

‘When was it that you became committed to being a truth seer?’

‘Much later,' he told her. 'I saw a spirit for the first time. And somewhat later, I met your mother. And I was so interested in finding out what else there was.’

‘I think that you are lying. At the very least, you are not telling me something. Your heartbeat went up. I don’t think that you were interested in spiritual affairs that much at all. You were interested in the mundane. It’s the secrets of people that you care about, and a deeper understanding of their minds and bodies.’

‘To some degree. Perhaps I should tell you that at the circus, we had a bloodbender. Very skilled. He never pushed it too far. He posed as a magician, but he controlled the animals with his bloodbending.’

‘That made an impression on you,’ she sensed. ‘And you were interested in finding out if earthbending would allow you new insights into human bodies? And perhaps a matter of agency over them?’

‘In a way, yes. I became concerned with matters of the heart. It’s difficult to explain – it came together quite naturally. I wanted to understand the secrets of the heart and people better.’

‘And after you found my mother…’

‘I went on a spiritual journey by myself. I meditated at different temples and sights. I needed to know. Years later, I met up with Suyin again.’

 ‘So what are those feelings that I sense? It’s all tight up.’

‘Ask me a question. Any question.’

‘Did you love her?’

‘Like family.’

‘What are you leaving out?’

He chuckled. ‘That’s cheating, Lin. I’m leaving a lot out, for the sake of the story.’

Lin focused and she could sense his breathing, which was rapid and warm. His heartbeat was  just as fast as hers. She could have guessed what he left out, what it was that she was sensing – matters of the heart. Very difficult matters that were not a memory, but that were happening now. He was leaving out the effects that her hands had on his hands. He was silent about how happy it made him to be sitting here with her in this tiny apartment in Republic City. He never bothered to tell her that he wanted to touch her and push her to floor. His heartbeat went up whenever her fingers moved. He didn’t reveal that he was imagining how her waist felt, and how much he wanted to feel her lips. Those were his deepest secrets.

She hoped that she was wrong. The possibility of loving someone again made her feel uneasy and scared. The medicine was losing its effect, or maybe she only noticed now because she was distracted again.

‘Aiwei, I’m very hurt. I think that you should go, and that I should lie down.’

Before he got up, he kissed her right hand with grace.  

‘Thank you, Lin.’

She looked to the floor.  

‘I should go,’ he said, letting go of her hands. ‘You should rest and practice.’

‘Yes,’ she whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse.

‘I’ll let myself out. Take it easy.’  He smiled again. She laughed softly.

 

*

Her tea had gotten cold. She did not quite understand what had happened and fell with her back on the carpet, sighing. She closed her eyes. Lying on the floor, she could sense his footsteps, echoing through the stairwell, all the way up, until they vibrated through her body.  


	5. Missing Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An incident in the pro-bending arena catches Lin's attention. The possibility of a new equalist movement is a danger to the town, but it also reminds her of her darkest memories and fears.

The investigation did not bring them much further. While Lin was at home recovering, she received many reports of her staff members. They had interviewed many of the train passengers but did not get an inch closer to the organization that these individuals belonged to. The electric gloves did suggest a connection to the equalist movement, a line that they were now investigating. The movement had not entirely ceased when council man Noatek, better known as “Amon”, had committed suicide. The police still caught supporters from time to time.

The fact that the equalists were gathering in numbers again made her anxious. One of the most traumatic moments in her life had been when her bending had been taken away by them. After she had protected Tenzin and his family, the equalists had managed to capture her. Lin was not afraid often, but she had dreaded what was to come. When they had stolen her powers, she had been at a loss. It had made her realize that she was highly dependent on her bending. Even now, bending meant everything to her. Her life, work, and self-esteem thrived on it.

Without her powers, she had felt utterly dark and incomplete, like an empty shell. The strange thing was that she had felt like an observer of her own body. It was like she was one inch away from it, like it didn’t quite fit. It just did not feel right. She couldn’t feel the earth anymore or feel her heartbeat quite as clearly. The presence of other people surprised and shocked her every time, and created anxiety, because she did not feel their footsteps trembling on the earth. The world had seemed cold and dead to her, and her body had felt disconnected from it. She had lost so many important ways to experience the world and sense it, that she considered herself better off dead. Had the loss of her bending made her stronger? No, it had only made her realize that she had to pull through on her own. The loneliness of life, and the experience of being disconnected from everything, had scarred her, but she was proud. She believed that no one could see her fears.

It was all coming back to her now. She found some comfort in the thought that the equalists were not as visible as back then, and that their exceptionally skilled leader Amon had passed away. They were amateurs now, for the most part. Lin clearly remembered an incident half a year ago, when non-benders had violently beaten up a young waterbender. During the interrogation, they had been convinced that they had done no wrong. Benders were not proper human beings in their eyes, but deviants. Since the opening of the spirit world, the awakening of many latent airbenders had only increased the outbursts of such citizens. Considering themselves marginalized, they started riots. Unprivileged and unprotected, they mostly felt afraid. Lin did not sympathize with them, but somehow she understood.

She had ordered a search of the politician’s house. His wife Somari, burdened by the death of her son and husband, allowed them to search every inch. They found only one letter which suggested a possible blackmail, though it was unclear by who and why.  Somari could not tell them much. Her husband had been under a lot of stress, though it was unclear why. Since the opening of the spirit world, he had gotten anxious. His wife had testified that their presence made him feel uneasy, that he was convinced that the end of the world was coming soon. He had gotten a bit more radical, but not insane. She was unsure who would threaten him and why. If her husband had ever been a member of the equalists, he had been good at keeping it a secret. She did admit that he spent a lot of time out of the house. Even though his wife had been closest to him, she had felt that he had been slipping away. He had been committed to his work, especially now that their daughter had grown older.

How did the movement fit into this? Had the congress man been a member of the new equalists? Had he upset them or had there been a schism of sorts? It was time to dive deeper into this movement. Lin got back to work earlier than she should have, and much earlier than her doctor recommended, but she needed to know more. It was time to find more clues about the equalist movement, which was regaining its strength. Going through old reports and incidents did not help her much though.

 

*

Later that day, Lin received a call from the headquarters that there had been riots in the pro-bending arena at Yue Bay. Though Lin was supposed to be off-duty, she went there by herself. For a minute, she considered contacting Aiwei, but she knew that he was busy following up leads. Furthermore, he was scheduled to interrogate the witnesses of the train accident. She slid on her armor and left her apartment.

At noon, the arena was a sight to behold as it bathed in the sunlight: grand, luxurious and overwhelming. Pro-bending was a fairly new sport, and Lin remembered that when the arena was built, some twelve years ago, it was considered an eyesore. Gradually, citizens of Republic City had come to appreciate the building, and by now, they had gone grown fond of it. The arena had been evacuated for now, but police officers were still interrogating some of the witnesses. During a match, equalists had apparently fought with benders. At first sight, it seemed a form of hooliganism, extreme audience behavior, perhaps, but not uncommon and certainly not politically motivated. Searching the arena, Lin almost felt that it was decoy of sorts. Things were off. Witness accounts varied. While some were convinced that the riot had been caused by equalists, judged by their weapons and attire, others did not know. The case made no sense whatsoever.

Going over the contradictory accounts, tracing the marks on the bending arena, re-enacting the riots in her mind, Lin got the feeling that something did not fit. That was the first time that she considered that matters were deeper.  Who was really pulling the strings of these events, and why?


	6. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo is on duty during a cultural festival at Yue Bay. The chief wrestles with the challenging case and her feelings for Aiwei.

Near the bay, a cultural festival was held that weekend. Lin was on duty with her team to provide security. The past years the festival, in the tradition of the water tribes, had been met with some resistance. Furthermore, it attracted quite some visitors, from both inside and outside Republic City. The police had to keep order.

In the early evening, Lin was admiring the promenade and the harbor. Vendors were selling food and sweets, lanterns and little toys. Musicians were playing exotic instruments and everywhere, people were taking walks or dancing together. Some handed out  paper fans. At night, there would be fireworks. 

She was joined by Aiwei, who knew that she was on working on the festival. She had told him that the past years, the job had been rather dull. He offered to keep her some company during her last hour on the job, and suggested that they might walk across the festival afterwards. She did not refuse. She liked him, and he was a part of their team. It wouldn’t be odd. He had been working on the case more than she had the past days, since she had been busy supervising the security for the festival.

‘I found some new leads again,’ he told her, as they walked over the promenade together. Lin kept a keen eye on her surroundings, but also paid attention to him. ‘Nothing conclusive though, but more information that suggests that the equalists might be involved. I’ll have the reports on your desk before Monday.’

‘Monday is fine,’ Lin nodded, hands behind her back. 

From time to time, her officers reported to her, and some of them hadn’t met Aiwei yet, so she introduced him. The promenade was fairly peaceful, though one officer had caught a pickpocket, and two others had halted some teenagers that had started the lanterns of a couple of kids.   

Lin was getting a bit anxious. Though she loved her work, she was having a nice time chatting with Aiwei and actually just wanted to have some drinks at the festival and go home. Half an hour before she was off duty, an officer came running up to her though.

‘Chief, some folks are harassing a group of waterbenders!’ Lin and Aiwei ran with him to the scene – a small square where people had been dancing. The music had ceased, and near a small fire, a group of waterbenders were fighting non-benders who swung electric sticks at them. Though the non-benders weren’t wearing any equalist uniforms – no one seemed to wear those anymore these days - she recognized them as allies of the movement immediately. Police officers were trying to break the group up.

Swinging her metal cables, Lin managed to catch a prominent non-bender. The other officers chased after a group of equalists that tried to flee the scene. Aiwei, in the meantime, fought against a female non-bender that tried to strike him with her electric glove. With his earthbending, he tried to trap her. There was a lot of commotion and Lin focused on tying up her prisoner. They needed to interrogate at least one of them.

‘What is going on here?’ she asked the equalist, who was trapped in her wires. ‘What do you think you are doing?!’

‘We want freedom. We want this country to be run in the way that Amon envisioned it. No more oppression! No more supremacy!’

‘No more supremacy,’  another non-bender echoed, before Aiwei flung a rock into his face.

‘Your festival is a mockery,’ the guy continued. ‘This city is supposed to be tolerant. It’s supposed to multicultural. How come all of us non-benders end up in lower-class jobs at factories? How come we are the ones that do all the dirty work?’

‘Can it,’ Lin said. She had heard enough. ‘You are coming with me to the station.’

They managed to capture four equalists, though there had been many more. Lin instructed several officers to take them to prison, where they would stay overnight and be interrogated tomorrow. On the scene, Lin and Aiwei interviewed the waterbenders, and made elaborate notes. By then, it was past midnight.

 

 

*

They took a stroll across the promenade and spoke a lot about work. They would interrogate the equalists first thing tomorrow morning.

The fireworks were starting and Lin grew silent, staring up at the sky. It was so beautiful. Aiwei looked at her, and she looked back. Impulsively, she kissed him, and then moved back. For a second, she was afraid that he might refuse her. Instead, he smiled and took off his glasses. He touched her scars and kissed her, first on the cheek, then on the lips. His hands rested on her hips. The noise of the festival faded as they walked to the bay to admire the fireworks better. She laughed softly. There weren’t many people nearby. In the distance, she saw a group of teenagers that were running towards the water. Aiwei stroked her arms. Her armor was in the way, but he found the spots that were free from metal and held her.

She was a bit hesitant, but kissed him again, and nibbled on his pierced ear. She gave him soft kisses until he couldn’t stand the teasing anymore, and their tongues touched. She liked making out with him, but it got colder and the fireworks got boring. Why stay here? It reminded her of when she was young, and made out with her boyfriend’s on places like this, because she couldn’t take them home. Her mother hadn’t been easy.  

‘I’m not really in the mood for celebrating here at the festival, are you? We had quite an eventful day.’

‘I understand. Let me walk you home,’ he nodded. When they got up, he offered her his arm, and they talked about all sorts of things. He told her where he grew up (the desert), how he learned to bend (his mother and Toph), where he met Suyin (the circus). She told him about the origin of her scars (Suyin), the pressure of her job (Raiko), and her past love life (Tenzin).

It was difficult for her, since she never really talked to anyone about how much Tenzin had hurt her. Back then, Tenzin and she had been together for a long time, and had shared many ideas about what their future would look like. She hadn’t just lost her lover, but her best friend. The fact that he had cheated on her with a sixteen year younger woman had affected her deeply. She also felt that somehow, the fact that she had never been able to give him children, tied into it. It had been painful to see him move on very fast with a new family.

‘It really broke my heart, and it was a blow to my self-esteem.’

‘Did it change you?’

‘I’m pretty sure that I became more distant because of it. Maybe a bit meaner too. My mom had cheated on my dad as well. If that’s love, count me out. Even if I didn’t consciously think it, I’m pretty sure that on an emotional level, that was what it felt like. All those lies, I couldn’t take it.’

‘Did you have a long-term relationship after that?’ he asked her. 

‘Only some boyfriends. It was hard, you know. I was nearly forty. He was lucky, but it’s different for a man, you know. Easier somehow. He could still get kids and that family life that he wanted. For me, that was no option. I didn’t want a kid, but by that time, it was probably not possible for me to have one at all. It feels awkward talking to you about this. Do you have kids?’

‘No, but Suyin’s children are a part of my life. When they were younger, I took care of them often. They are also your family, you know.’

‘They don’t feel like my family.’

They were silent. He touched her hand.

‘Maybe family is a different matter. Would you liked to have loved someone else?’

‘I suppose, but I was so caught up in other things. I felt that I wasn’t exactly beautiful anymore. It also gets harder to find someone to be with, as you get older. And you know me, I’m quite challenging. Critical too. And now we are here. Ten years have passed. He has a family. And what do I have?’

‘Let’s see – you are strong, committed, and gorgeous. You are a great catch. He should have been lucky to still have you.’

‘Stop fooling around,’ she laughed.

‘I mean it,’ he kissed her gently. ‘I really do.’

 

*

She invited him in and it happened quite naturally, without much thought at all. They slept together, which was nice and pleasant, but not as romantic as she had hoped. Lin had not had sex in a while, and she was insecure. Her body was ageing. She did not consider herself beautiful, or entitled to this, but he talked her through it. Though she was still agile, it wasn’t easy. It took more time than she expected, for starters, to really get into it. She was a physical person, and she told herself to enjoy this. Who knew that arousal could be so complicated? They made up for it though, with intimacy and experience.

Even though it was a bit messy, they were happy and it felt real. Lin thought to herself that this relationship could work, and she was a pessimist. She had not considered a full-fletched relationship in a while. Smiling, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. With her seismic sense, she could analyze his emotions – his rapid heartbeat, the surface of his skin and his increased breathing. His feelings for her had a form and texture, a materiality that made them true and feasible.  She could feel right through his skin. That was what she liked about the two of them; their bodies were connected in a deep way. With their seismic sense, they could both feel these complicated things, these energies and beats. There was no doubt about their feelings. That made it easier. If only she could have listened to Tenzin’s heart as well back in the day, she might have been spared a world of hurt.

As she listened to his heartbeat, she knew that he loved her sincerely. His hand ran through her hair.

‘What are you thinking?’ he asked her softly.

‘I’m not really thinking. I’m listening. Your body is so complex. What I’m thinking is that I liked this. And that I haven’t felt this great in a while. This is good.’

‘It is, isn’t it?’


	7. Miserable Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things don't add up, Lin gets more suspicious of Aiwei's behavior.

The equalists had been arrested. Their organization would be out of the picture for a while, but Lin had no doubt that they still had sympathizers. In fact, the opening of the spirit world and the increase in air benders had only provoked them more. As she interrogated the subjects, she knew that they were bitter and they believed in their cause. The world would be better without bending, without spirits. They resented it. Still, it didn’t make sense. What was their motive for killing all those benders? They said they didn’t do it, but Aiwei assured her that they were lying. 

‘Look,’  one of them told her, a young man with glasses, ‘you are right. You caught us red-handed during the festival at the promenade, and we did meet up at the tunnels beforehand, but those murders, we didn’t do it. We didn’t kill that girl, the firebender, or that man.’ She wanted to believe him and something told her that she was right.

That night she joined Aiwei for dinner. They laughed and she even stayed at his apartment. She didn’t tell him that she suspected him of lying. In fact, she expected him of more than just lying, but she tried not to show it. He would know. It took her great effort to be calm and collected, and multiple times, he asked her if something was wrong, because he noticed her nervousness.

‘I always get this way after a case,’ she told him, and it wasn’t a lie. ‘I don’t know what to do with myself. For weeks, I can get into it. Completely immersed. And then, I just don’t know what to do. There’s this void. It’s like… It’s like I should be relaxing, and I want to relax. It’s like I should be happy, but there’s only this loss. Do you understand?’

‘I do. That seems like you. Lin, you should learn that there is more to life than work.’ He touched her cheek softly and traced her scars with his fingers, then her lips, and kissed her softly.

‘Show me,’ she demanded. 

When he was out to get coffee later, she thoroughly examined the hotel room in which he stayed. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that she could find on him. She had done a background check on him a day earlier and nothing had come up. It was like he had no identity, like he didn’t even exist. Who was this guy? The only thing that she found was a book with a strange book mark in it. It had a red flower on it.

In the book, there were notes, but they didn’t quite relate to the text itself and didn’t make much sense. Was this a message of sorts or was she reading too much into this? When he returned, she accepted his coffee politely.

 

*

‘We are being framed,’  the equalist told her when she was standing near his prison. Aiwei wasn’t with her, but it had been somewhat difficult to ditch him. Was he covering up his tracks? She didn’t want to be suspicious of him, but she was.

‘It takes someone with unique bending skills to kill a girl like that,’ she said dryly. ‘And that boy was mutilated. Though you have a motive, I find it highly unlikely that it was you. It is too small-scaled and a different modus operandi.’

‘What do you want from me?’

‘I can help you, if you help me. Who is doing this? Do you have any ideas? You are charged with multiple murders, but we can lessen your time if you have anything that we can work with.’

‘I don’t know much more than you do. There have been rumors about other anarchists. Since our leader passed away, our movement was presumed finite. The past year, we have been gathering strength again. The world has changed. We all sense it. Still, there are those that want to overthrow the government altogether.’

‘Who?’

‘I can’t tell you much, but maybe they are responsible for the murder of council man Osaro, his daughter and the boy. Look, there is a guy. He has a tea house downtown, a small place near the Eastern Market. They call him Buck, but that’s not his real name of course. He was affiliated to them somehow, I think, but then he got out and he started that place. He is keeping it down. That’s all I know.’

Lin stepped out of the shadows. ‘Thank you.’

‘That partner of yours…? I wouldn’t trust him. He is trying to hold our guys responsible, but this isn’t on us.’

 

*

Lin found Buck’s tea house which was small but comfortable and lively. There were a lot of waterbenders in the place, all things considered, who tended to live on this side of the town. Buck was an older gentlemen with a sideburns and an outfit that channeled some of the waterbenders’ culture – lots of blue and some furs. He served the tea fast and talked to his guests openly.

She asked him whether they could go into the back and talk. She made him some promises and he told her, quite openly, how he had been a member of the Red Lotus movement, a fraction of the White Lotus. The Red Lotus wanted total freedom and had gotten more and more radical by the years. They had left him for death when he wanted to leave the movement. Somehow, he made it through and assumed a new identity here in Republic City. Not many knew of his past, though some knew or presumed that it was shady. He had assumed a different look, and went about his business casually.  Even if the Red Lotus had spotted him, they had not threatened him.

She was surprised by his openness, and informed about Aiwei.

‘He is a member too. I wouldn’t know what he wants from you. Inside information, perhaps? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Lotus killed the congress man. Perhaps they had arrangements with him to pull strings in the government, but he failed? Killing him, and placing another Red Lotus member in the congress, seems like a solid plan.’

‘How would they make sure that a Red Lotus member was elected?’

‘Well, if it’s an interim position. The Red Lotus has connections everywhere. They work from the outside, through little riots and treads, but also from within. It looks like they are preparing for something.’

Lin got more information from him and thanked him.

‘I don’t want this town to be burned to the ground,’  he said. ‘Freedom is good, but not at the cost of lives. There will always be a form of government somehow. Someone needs to represent us. That’s just what I think.’ He shrugged.

Lin also suggested that he might flee town just to be sure and close down his shop for a while. If the Red Lotus had returned, it would be a matter of minutes before they found him. At first, she wanted to refer him to her sister in Zaofu, which was a well-protected town. However, considering that Aiwei had been a mole there for years, how safe was that town really? Perhaps he should just stay low in a small town or village. They talked it over, and he promised that he would leave tonight.

*****

The streets near the Eastern Market were buzzing with activity. It was Friday, the busiest market day. Vendors were shouting, and children were running through the crowd. She had parked her car a block away, but as she reached it, Aiwei was waiting for her. Deep down, she wanted to arrest him, but she had too little evidence. She touched her sleeves, in a gesture that she hoped would intimidate him. He showed his empty hands and then bowed to her.

‘Chief,’ he said.

She nodded.

‘You found what you were looking for, I suppose?’ he said. ‘Dear Buck. We had our eye on him for a long time. I hope that he told you enough, because as we speak, the Red Lotus is beating him and kidnapping him. We wanted to kill him first, but that seemed a bit unnecessary. Our big coup is nearly happening as we speak.’

‘Why would you do this?’ she asked him.

‘Freedom,’ he said, and she saw a spark in his eyes. ‘We have been oppressed for so long. These regimes need to end. We have not forgotten what happened in the fire nation. We see that Raiko has too much power. Freedom should not be constrained by governments. We want a full life.’

‘Isn’t that a bit naïve?’ she said.

‘Maybe, but it’s worth a shot.’

‘You know that I have to arrest you. I can’t believe that you fooled me like this. That you just infiltrated our police corps like that.’

‘I had to get rid of some evidence that led back to us.’

‘The murder of the girl?’

‘Primarily. One of my friends incinerated her.’

‘And the equalists on the train?’

‘Definitely not equalists. I let the last member escape. It was quite convenient that you fainted.’

‘So you just tricked me?’

‘I was interested in how your department worked in detail. We needed all the advantages that we could get.’

He had used her. It was clear to her that she meant nothing to him.

‘Our revolution will start soon.’ His smile was wicked. It made her feel sick.

‘I can’t believe that I’m talking to the same person.’

‘This is just my political affiliation. I do care about you, Lin. A lot.’  He looked like he meant it. She couldn’t tell if it was just another performance.

‘You care about me?!’  she repeated. ‘You miserable-!’

‘This is hard for me too,’ he said gently. ‘You can try to arrest me and I will fight back. Or you can let me go.’

‘Are you mad?!’ She ejected her cables but he earthbend a rock in front of him, and swung it at her. That is when he moved back and started to run.

She swung her wires and connected them to the cables above the alley. After soaring through the alley, she landed in front of him and swept the cables to his feet, in order to catch him. He jumped up and used his bending again. Though he wasn’t as good a metalbender as her, he managed to get his hands on a sewer lid and threw it at her like a flying disc. She avoided it and sped to him. He worked his way up to the crowd, by running at times, and bending walls. By swinging her cables, she landed in front of him and prevented him from entering the busier streets, where cornering him would be more difficult.

Finally, she caught him with her wires by surprising him. Suggesting that she would aim for his feet, she shot the cables higher up. She was rapid and her moves were not always easy to predict. That was a huge advantage. He fell to the ground, tangled in her metal.

‘We are leaving,’ she suggested, pushing him up and inspecting him to make sure that his hands were constrained. She guided him to her car. That was where she was paying so much attention to him, and the car, that she was knocked out before she knew it.


	8. Heartlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped by the Red Lotus, Lin reflects on where it all went wrong. Republic City is in danger. Will Aiwei let her suffer?

She awoke in a strange and cold place. It seemed to be a cellar of sorts. She could hear Aiwei’s voice. He was explaining his loyalty to the movement, but there was something else. He mentioned her name. She was dizzy and listening in was difficult. They were not in this room, it seemed. She sensed them next door.

‘We would spare as many lives as we could,’ he insisted. ‘We want to overthrow the government, not kill everyone.’

‘You are pathetic,’ another man said. ‘The revolution is our first and only goal. If you don’t aspire that, you are in our way.’

‘Zaheer, be sensible,’ Aiwei said. ‘I am on your side.’

‘Are you? It seems to me that you are having second doubts, and we can’t have that. We will work on the attack tonight. With the chief of police out of the way, thanks to you, we have the advantage that we need.’

There was more discussion, more protesting. Lin faded out, because her head hurt. She felt blood running over her forehead and eye.

She awoke when Aiwei was talking to her, cleaning her face, and asking her things. She didn’t hear much at all, but she felt comfortable being touched by him, despite everything. While she couldn’t think straight, her seismic sense was working full speed. She felt his blood soaring through his heartlines. With her mind, she could almost sense his spine. Everything was connected, she saw that now. There was no way to distinguish between her body and his, between the ground and their feet. Their hands were guided by the same energy. She understood now. The world was one big drum.

‘Lin, do you hear me?’ he asked again.

She looked up. There was a bright light on and it hurt her eyes. She squinted.

‘I hear you,  you monster,’  she cursed.

‘Zaheer and the others are preparing the strike and they have left. Now I’m going to let you go.’

‘You really are an idiot,’ she said. ‘Why not murder me right now, and get on with your terrorist attack?’

‘I regret this deeply. I never knew that they would take it this far. I don’t know where they are going to strike,’ he ignored her, as he undid the ropes that tied her to a wooden chair. ‘But I will meet with Zaheer in the spirit world before the attack and… Maybe I can contact you. I will try.’ He offered his hand to get her out of the chair, but she didn’t take it. She slapped it, and felt like slapping him some more. She got up by herself and tried to look strong, even though she was heartbroken.

‘He won’t know that I’ve let you go. He won’t be back until much later, maybe not all. I think that I convinced him that I would kill you. I certainly hope so. There were a couple of guards but I knocked them out. You should be safe.’

‘I don’t know what to say,’ she said.

‘I do. Hurry.’

She hesitated for a moment, and then ran off. He sighed. This would be the end of him, but he was at peace and sat on the floor next to the chair, meditating.

 

*

Lin was fast, as Aiwei had expected her to be. Checking in at headquarters, she explained that the city was in danger as fast as she could. Her staff got together and they worked on a plan. Where would this organization strike? What did we know about them? Several police offers were send to town hall rapidly to speak to the congress and president about the security of the town. Lin Beifong joined them. They were too late.

Outside, the streets seemed calm, but Republic City was far from safe. When Lin Beifong left town hall, she could see it in the distance. There was smoke. Later she heard that there had been a terrorist attack and that the railroad track and central station had been destroyed. Hundreds of people had died at the hands of a mysterious organization named the Red Lotus. A shiver ran down her spine. She unconsciously touched her scars.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, and the following ones, are actually the ones that I wrote first as a post-canon fic that explored The Stakeout a bit differently.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some troubling events, a distressed Lin is forced to ask Tenzin and his daughter for spiritual guidance.

For days, she searched for Aiwei and traces of the Red Lotus. Her staff was working non-stop on the attack. It was difficult to say what this radical party was trying to achieve, other than chaos and a new order. The betrayal had gutted Lin. She didn’t know what to do with herself and concentrating on work was harder than ever. How could she have been fooled like this? All that he had ever wanted was to erase their missteps and spy on the police from the inside. The weaknesses in their organization, their modus operandi – it was all key to preparing a full-fletched attack. Who had he reported too? How could she have been so naive? It never struck her. This was her sister’s best friend.

For the first time in years, she called her sister. Suyin informed about Aiwei’s well-being. She was shocked to hear that he was affiliated to the Red Lotus, and the recent crime waves and attacks. Even in Zaofu, she had heard about this, and her citizens were greatly concerned that their city would be under attack soon too. Suyin apologized many times and it shocked her. He lied to her too. At the end of the phone call, her little sister begged Lin - if Aiwei had passed away - to return his body to Zaofu. The request saddened Lin, who was afraid that Aiwei had died a traitor to the Red Lotus, for letting her escape, and perhaps for other reasons. She had no idea what had happened to him though, and before that time, she would rather not think about the matter. When Su asked her again to "please, please, make sure he gets home safe so we can say goodbye", Lin agreed. Considering the circumstances, she even promised that she would come by herself, even though she had sworn never to set a foot in that place. 

 

*

Days passed. There were no other attacks, but the Red Lotus sent various threads, such as an unsettling radio broadcast in which they read their manifesto. Tracking down the anarchists was proving to be hard.

In the early morning, Lin Beifong decided to go for a stroll to get out of her head. Outside, it was fairly cold and foggy, and she clung to her coat. The town looked peaceful and there weren’t many people on the streets. Even though Republic City could be dangerous, it was her home and she felt at peace there. In the distance, the Statue of Aang stood proudly, reassuring her that this town was not built on blood, but hope. This too would pass.

As she walked along Yue Bay, near the harbor, the fog increased. The ships looked lonely in the night, but it surprised Lin that, in a matter of minutes, the fog got so thick that she could not see them anymore. She walked carefully to see where she was going. The air felt different somehow, like there was electricity in it.

Then, in the distance, she saw a stranger approaching her. She knew who it was before she could see him, by his light tread and his composure. It couldn’t be.

‘Aiwei,’ she whispered, as he stood before her. It was him. There was no doubt about it. She suppressed the urge to hug him. He was alive. He was really alive.

‘Give me some answers,’  she demanded then, coldly.

He smiled. ‘Does it matter? I was a fool, and got double-crossed by the Red Lotus. I was cleaning up their mess.’

‘They backstabbed you?’

‘I believed in their ideas, but they have become radical. You have to be careful, Lin.’ He gestured her to walk with him. The fog was so thick that she was afraid that she’d loose him.

‘I needed to find you.’ He stood still and looked her straight in the eyes. ‘I need to tell you something.’

‘I really don’t want to talk to you anymore. Just leave me alone. I don’t want to arrest you. I don’t want to deal with this.’

‘Lin, listen to me.’ The fog was cold. The harbor seemed so far away. She looked to the ground and then into his eyes.

‘I love you, Lin Beifong,’ he confessed. ‘And I will always be there to protect you. When you need me, I’ll be there. I promise.’

‘Fool,’ Lin commented, as she closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him. She didn’t feel his lips or his skin, only the cold air. When she opened her eyes again, to see if he had pulled back, she noticed that she was alone. She fought back the tears, but she couldn’t. He had simply vanished. She did not understand. The fog around her seemed to fade away gradually.  

 

*

‘What do we know about the spirit world?’ Tenzin lectured her. ‘We know that the gateway has been opened and that their world has infiltrated ours. This means that, quite possibly, there are ways in which certain places of their world intersects with ours. The metaphysics of the spirit world is a strange thing and as we saw, it has clearly affected our own. Latent airbenders awoke; the energy changed-‘

‘Cut to the chase,’  Lin said impatiently as they stood outside his home at Air Temple Island.

‘You say that you saw fog, and a person who died, or is possibly trapped in the spirit world,’ Tenzin summarized. ‘And you have asked me: Is this possible? Would he be able to connect with us?’

‘Exactly.’

‘I don’t have answers for you, Lin. I don’t mean to be offensive, but you never struck me as the most spiritual person. You are,’  he hesitated, ‘…rather down to earth. I’m not sure what happened to you. Did you enter the spirit world? I’d be surprised. But the ways in which that world connects to ours is complicated, so who knows. The ontology of the spirit world is a fascinating but complex matter now that the portals are open and the spirits live amongst us.’

‘What do you think happened?’ Lin asked him directly, getting impatient.

‘Several things could have happened,’ Tenzin theorized. ‘The fog is inhabited by a spirit that infects the minds of those that are in it. Perhaps that spirit crossed over to our world. It could also be that somehow, our world and that spirit world got connected. But I also have another theory. Could it be the spirits of the death can reach us, now that the portals are open?’

‘I’m not sure if he has passed away, though.'

'What did it feel like? Are you sure that there was fog?'

'Yes,' she said. 'The fog was striking. Very dense and very sudden.’

‘I have been in the fog for a while,’ Tenzin told her, ‘but it is a unique place. While the portals have been opened, it would strike me as odd if it somehow connected with our world. Let alone Republic City.’

She felt uncomfortable talking about this to Tenzin, and decided a different approach. ‘The whole situation frankly reminded me of your daughter. Hadn’t she been trapped in a fog in the spirit world for a long time?’

‘Well, if you want answers, you can always ask Jinora herself,’ Tenzin suggested.

 

*

The young airbending master was meditating. Tenzin and Lin drank tea, and finally managed to catch her. It struck Lin that Tenzin’s daughter seemed so serious and different. The resemblance to Aang was obvious, but she had a unique spark. Across the nation, people were already comparing her to Yangcheng, and Lin understood why. There was a serenity in Jinora that she recognized from all the iconic statues and history books. She looked at Tenzin for a moment and knew that he was very proud of his daughter. Tenzin made some introductions and then left them. Lin felt comfortable with that. She respected Jinora and also felt that she could be more open now that Tenzin wasn’t around.

She was surprised at how emotional she felt. Jinora asked just the right questions and Lin ended up telling her everything. The Red Lotus, the problems, how much she had loved him. Jinora encouraged her.

‘The fog is very complex,’ she told Lin. ‘You can get trapped in it. The only way to get out of it, like I did, is by facing your greatest fear. But it seems to me, when I listen to your story, that he is trapped there, and reaching out to you. It would take a very committed and spiritual person to do that. A person with great empathy too. The fog is complex. It will trap you in your greatest fear and it will confront you with it.’

‘Hm,’ Lin said. ‘If he’s so caught up in that fear, how was he able to reach out to me?’

‘My guess is…’ The girl looked a bit uneasy. ‘My guess is that… a couple of things happened. The spirit world is interwoven with this world now, so it’s easier to reach than it was before. When I was trapped, it took great effort. Now our worlds are connected.’

‘I see,’ Lin nodded.

‘I also have another idea, but it might not make sense.’ Jinora suddenly seemed very young and insecure.

‘Go on,’ Lin encouraged her. ‘I really want to hear what you think.’

‘Whatever happened might be connected to his fear?’ Jinora suggested carefully. ‘In the fog,  we face our greatest fears. It sounds a bit silly, maybe, but I wonder - could it be that loosing you is his greatest fear?’

Lin did not reply immediately. ‘It’s hard to say. Whatever we had ended prematurely.’

‘My mom once told me about her and dad. Sometimes you just know when you met your soul mate. Maybe soul mates can reach each other across the worlds?’

‘Wouldn’t that be nice,’ Lin said dryly, but when Jinora hugged her she started to cry. This girl was the daughter that she would have loved to have had, and it felt surprisingly good to be held by her. But she was also a friend. Like Avatar Aang, who had always looked out for her when she felt younger. She felt safe.

‘It will be okay. You are loved,’ Jinora whispered.


	10. Epilogue

As she stood at the edge of the abyss, she wondered how it had come this. Lin Beifong had entered the portal to the spirit world. For Suyin’s sake and her own, she would find him. She would get the answers that they were looking for and find out where the Red Lotus would strike next. If he still had a body, he might awaken and he might help them. If not, then at least he would find peace. She was an altruist, willing to sacrifice herself for others. Tenzin had often called her dedicated and loyal. He had been right. She would go all the way, too far even. 

Staring down into the fog, she could almost see the wandering, lost souls. This prison did not scare her. She was committed to facing her worst fears. She had lived them years ago - the loss of her bending and the solitude - and firmly believed that they held no power over her anymore. She touched her scars lightly, and then, her gear. The metal felt different somehow.

There was little time in the fog. It would infect her mind rapidly, like a disease. She had to act fast. They had no bodies in the spirit world, but would she feel his heartbeats if she tried?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this fic. <3


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